Multifunctional body pillow

ABSTRACT

The present invention has a primary object to provide ergonomically designed multifunctional body pillow, the pillow provide support for not only the head but the entire back body. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is a pillow including a pillow body having a substantially uniform cross section, essentially characterized with a rectangular shape for providing support for the entire back body of a person along with the head portion, a hole formed between the enclosing area of said rectangular shaped body for accommodating the back of a person&#39;s body created by joining two longer arms with two shorter arms, additionally characterized by its minimum number of parts, its inexpensive manufacture, its maneuverability, and its effectiveness in providing comfort.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

MICROFICHE

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an ergonomically designed pillow for supporting a person, more particularly to provide support for not only the head but the entire back body.

(2) Background

Numerous techniques have been developed previously by way of efforts to discourage supine or prone position sleeping. They include the positioning of uncomfortable objects in the area of the back.

Many factors can contribute to resting comfort and overall sleep quality. In terms of sleep satisfaction, sleep positions appear to be related to the quality of sleep one receives. On average, poor sleepers spend more time on their back with their head straight whereas good sleepers occupy more periods of immobility on their sides, commonly referred to as the semi-fetal position. The sleep position of these poor sleepers also appears to correspond with the normal position of sleepers who complain of respiratory problems. Sound sleepers spend more sleep time immobile than poor sleepers while poor sleepers tend to have more movement patterns which seem to disrupt their sleep.

Recent studies of body ergonomics and renewed attention to the benefits of quality rest and sleep have, in fact, highlighted the utilitarian function of supportive pillows. The pillows of U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,674, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,874,183 represent recent body pillows that provide integrated support to the head, back and legs of a user but fail provide direct support to the back in a manner that positively encourages a side-lying position. The pillow of U.S. Pat. No. 6,874,183 aims to provide support for a user in a wide range of positions and consequently is neither shaped nor sufficiently semi-rigid to provide positive support that encourages the beneficial side-lying position. The pillow of U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,674 requires the user to embrace the pillow to achieve support and thus like many such pillows require the user to embrace the pillow, thereby blocking the ventral side of the body and frustrating the dissipation of heat by the body.

It has been observed that sound sleep is characterized by eight to twelve postural shifts per night, eight hour period, which occur in harmony with the cycles of sleep. These shifts commonly coincide with brief moments of consciousness which, while detectable, go unnoticed by the subject. It is believed that this postural shifting during sleep naturally occurs to stimulate blood flow which works to avoid muscle tension. For these reasons it is believed that some minimal number of postural shifts cannot be avoided.

In contrast, research has shown that some poor sleepers may undergo well over a hundred postural shifts in a typical eight hour sleep period. It is believed that these excessive movements are in response to physical stresses on the body commonly referred to as pressure points. A pressure point occurs when an exceptional amount of pressure is applied for an extended period on a nerve or blood vessel resulting in numbness or pain. In response, the body adjusts to alleviate the pressure. Accordingly, it has been concluded that the quality of sleep is directly related to the comfort level one is able to achieve.

Also, there are various examples of pillows and cushions that are commercially available enable a user to remain in one or more positions with varying degrees of comfort, there are no currently marketed or available pillows which are custom designed to fit the skeletal dimensions of an individual user to thus provide optimum support for the user based on his or her bodily dimensions.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the invention is to provide ergonomically designed multifunctional body pillow, the pillow provide support for not only the head but the entire back body.

In a preferred embodiment, the invention is a pillow including a pillow body having a substantially uniform cross section, essentially characterized with a rectangular shape for providing support for the entire back body of a person along with the head portion, a hole formed between the enclosing area of said rectangular shaped body for accommodating the back of a person's body created by joining two longer arms with two shorter arms.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a multifunctional body pillow that that provides aids people with back problems, which is additionally characterized by its minimum number of parts, its inexpensive manufacture, its maneuverability, and its effectiveness in providing comfort.

In its various embodiments, the multifunctional body pillow of the present invention the hole has a shape of a doughnut hole with an approximate dimension of 17 in.×3.5 in. The plurality of arms of the pillow has different dimensions that from an ergonomically design of the pillow, the cross-sectional diameter of the longer arm of the body pillow is about 27 inches and the shorter arm is about 13.5 inches.

Furthermore the multifunctional body pillow of the invention consists of filler that is a stuffing of soft foam, which is memory foam, inside the pillow and a cover. The multifunctional body pillow provides a means to align a spinal cord of a human body on its use and the body pillow automatically adapts to the shape of the human body structure that is in contact of the pillow.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

The summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates the prospective top view of the device with dimensions.

FIG. 2 illustrates the prospective view of the device with a possible shape.

FIG. 3 illustrates the prospective view of the device.

FIG. 4 illustrates the prospective view of the device with a different shape.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

The following is a detailed description of example embodiments of the invention depicted in the accompanying drawings. The example embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the invention. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. The detailed descriptions below are designed to make such embodiments obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

The body pillow of the invention is a different design to all commercially pillows. The shape of pillow provides support for not only the head but the entire back body. The body pillow's has rectangular shaped with dimensions 27 in.×13.5 in. and an opening between the arms of the pillow is similar to a “doughnut hole” with dimensions of 17 in.×3.5 in.

In a preferred embodiment the body pillow's has rectangular shaped with dimensions 29×14.5 in. and an opening between the arms of the pillow is similar to a “doughnut hole” with dimensions of 19×4.5 in.

The pillow of the invention has body which is meant to relieve tension build up in the back body by mimicking the human body structure. The pillow is made up of two parts: filler and cover. The filler is known as the stuffing and the filler for the body pillow is a type of soft foam. The first cover is used to hold the filler and keep the pillow in the correct dimensions and shape. The last part of the body pillow is the removable cover. Each dimension mentioned is used to create the perfect pillow that allows maximum comfort for adults and aids people with back problems. The comfort of the pillow has changed for the better by changing the dimensions from 46 in×18 in' to 27 in×13.5 in. On removing the initial cover, the cost of creating the body pillow can be decreased significantly.

However, each part of the body pillow interacts with each in allowing overall comfort for adults. The basic structure of the pillow and material used to create the pillow is meant to allow enough resistance to support and aid straightening the back. Even with the resistance, the new material also allows enough flexibility to allow maximum comfort. Parts that are necessary to the invention is the filler. The soft foam allows the comfort provided by the pillows; moreover, the filler can be changed with time to suit the targeted market.

Referring to the drawing more particularly to FIG. 1, is described the various dimensions (but not limited to) of the arms of the pillow, the longer arm of the pillow is approximately 27 inches×17 inches and the short arm is approximately 7 inches×3½ inches. The arms are created by cutting a 80 inch long foam with 5 inches diameter.

The drawing more particularly to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4 describes the different from of the pillow. The invention is to provide a multifunctional body pillow that that provides aids people with back problems, which is additionally characterized by its minimum number of parts, its inexpensive manufacture, its maneuverability, and its effectiveness in providing comfort.

Furthermore the multifunctional body pillow of the invention consists of filler that is a stuffing of soft foam, which is memory foam, inside the pillow and a cover. The multifunctional body pillow provides a means to align a spinal cord of a human body on its use and the body pillow automatically adapts to the shape of the human body structure that is in contact of the pillow.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement, which is calculated to achieve the same purpose, may be substituted for the specific embodiment shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present invention. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A multifunctional body pillow, including pillow body having a substantially uniform cross section, essentially characterized with a rectangular shape for providing support for the entire back body of a person along with the head portion, a hole formed between the enclosing area of said rectangular shaped body for accommodating the back of a person's body created by joining two longer arms with two shorter arms.
 2. The multifunctional body pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said hole has a shape of a doughnut hole.
 3. The multifunctional body pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said hole is with an approximate dimension of 17 in.×3.5 in.
 4. The multifunctional body pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein cross-sectional diameter of said longer arm of said body pillow is about 27 inches.
 5. The multifunctional body pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein cross-sectional diameter of said shorter arm of said body pillow is about 13.5 inches.
 6. The multifunctional body pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said multifunctional body pillow further consist of filler and a cover.
 7. The multifunctional body pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said filler is a stuffing of soft foam inside the pillow.
 8. The multifunctional body pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stuffing of said filler is memory foam.
 9. The multifunctional body pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said multifunctional body pillow aids people with back problems.
 10. The multifunctional body pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said multifunctional body pillow provides a means to align a spinal cord of a human body on its use.
 11. The multifunctional body pillow as set forth in claim 1, wherein said multifunctional body pillow automatically adapts to the shape of the human body structure that is in contact of the pillow. 